The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other relevant agencies, has commenced a sustained enforcement operation against traffic light violations, driving against traffic and other road offences across Abuja.
The Mandate Secretary, FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, disclosed this on Thursday at a joint press conference in Abuja.
Elechi said a task force had been established to patrol major roads, apprehend offenders and ensure that those found guilty faced sanctions in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
He said the enforcement was necessitated by increasing violations of traffic regulations by some motorists, particularly with the expansion of the road network in the FCT.
The Mandate Secretary said the FCTA would work with the FRSC and other relevant agencies to improve traffic management and promote compliance with road safety regulations.
He said the joint operation would involve the FCT Security Department, Traffic Control Department, FRSC and other agencies responsible for traffic management and enforcement.
According to him, the expansion of existing roads and construction of new roads had also created the need for improved traffic management and stricter enforcement of road regulations.
Elechi listed the offences targeted by the operation to include disobedience to traffic lights and other traffic control devices, route violations, unauthorised use of restricted routes, driving against traffic and indiscriminate parking.
He said illegal parking on major roads, at junctions, under bridges and on pedestrian crossings would also attract enforcement action.
Elechi urged motorists and commercial transport operators to obey traffic regulations, use designated routes and park only in approved areas.
He said the enforcement would be sustained, adding that apprehended offenders would face appropriate sanctions under relevant national and FCT traffic regulations.
He further said the exercise could include mandatory medical and psychological evaluation where applicable, in line with the National Road Traffic Regulations 2012 and the FCT Road Traffic Regulations.
“Offenders will have to face the full weight of the law when they are involved in the dangerous exercise of driving against traffic or breaking traffic lights,” Elechi said.
He, however, stressed that the exercise was not intended to harass law-abiding motorists but to promote safer roads, smoother traffic flow and the protection of lives and property.
Also speaking, the FCT Sector Commander of the FRSC, Corps Commander Tijjani Iliyasu, said the command was concerned about cases of excessive overloading, traffic light violations, route violations, driving against traffic and indiscriminate parking.
Iliyasu said the offences contributed to traffic congestion, obstructed the movement of vehicles and endangered the lives and property of road users.
He said the situation required sustained enforcement, public enlightenment and cooperation among relevant stakeholders.
The FRSC Sector Commander disclosed that offenders apprehended for applicable offences, particularly excessive overloading, traffic light violations and route violations, including driving against traffic, would undergo prescribed medical and psychological evaluation before prosecution where required.
He cited Regulation 176, Sub-regulation 5 of the amended National Road Traffic Regulations 2012, which, according to him, requires persons suspected of committing applicable offences to undergo medical and psychological evaluation at an approved government hospital before prosecution, at their own expense.
Iliyasu said the measure was aimed at addressing dangerous driving behaviour and promoting responsible road use.
He urged motorists to obey traffic lights, road signs and markings, refrain from overloading vehicles, avoid driving against traffic and use only authorised routes.
He also advised road users to avoid indiscriminate parking and activities that obstruct traffic flow while using designated motor parks, bus stops and approved loading and dropping points.
The FRSC commander urged motorists to comply with directives issued by accredited traffic management and enforcement personnel and exercise patience, discipline and courtesy, particularly during peak traffic periods.
“Always remember that time saved by risking a life is not worth it,” he cautioned.
Iliyasu said the FRSC FCT Sector Command would continue to combine enforcement with public education, stakeholder engagement, engineering interventions and inter-agency collaboration to improve road safety and traffic management in Abuja.
“Our message is simple: obey traffic regulations, respect other road users, and make safety a personal responsibility,” he said.
The officials said the joint enforcement exercise would continue at strategic locations across the FCT as the authorities seek to reduce traffic violations, improve vehicular movement and safeguard lives and property.
Earlier, the Director, Security Services Department of the FCTA, Mr Adamu Gwary, said enforcement of traffic regulations was important not only for improved mobility but also for security in the nation’s capital.
Gwary, who was represented by the Secretary, Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji, said violations by some commercial transport operators and other road users could create security concerns.
He said security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), would support the enforcement exercise and ensure that it was conducted within the confines of the law.
“From the security perspective, we also understand that it has its own negative implications when people violate traffic regulations,” Olumuji said.
He expressed concern over the activities of some commercial transport operators, including tricycle and motorcycle operators, who he said sometimes used unauthorised routes and loading points.
According to him, traffic violations were also linked to wider security concerns in the FCT, including incidents of ‘one-chance’ robbery and other crimes.
Olumuji said an effective transport system was important to improving security in any city, adding that transportation and security were closely connected.
“There is no way in any city, in any nation, that you talk about better security without having an annexed, short width, good transportation system. And that is why we are here today,” he said.
Gwary assured residents that security agencies would support the FCTA and other enforcement bodies as the exercise continued across the territory.
